University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Mallory Downing
September 28, 2020 | Volleyball, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Playing competitive sports and being able to travel across the country and meet a lot of people have been invaluable experiences, said Mallory Downing, a Georgia volleyball freshman from Winter Park, Fla. Doing all that from a young age has helped her mature and grow, something she's benefited from since coming to college amid the coronavirus pandemic.
During our Quick Chat, Downing, who has a brother that played basketball at Florida, talked about missing out on the last part of her senior year of high school because of the shutdown, choosing Georgia, appreciating where sports have taken her, and much more.
Here's some of what she had to say:
Frierson: What was it like losing all the fun parts of your senior year of high school?
Downing: Yeah, no graduation, no prom or anything like that. I think I've kind of had to grow up a little bit, especially in the last couple of months. You just kind of have to realize, there are people out there dying, people have to cancel their weddings or deliver babies in hospitals that have COVID, so it could be a lot worse. That's kind of the way you've got to think about.
Frierson: How did you get started in volleyball? Was it just one of a lot of sports that you played growing up?
Downing: I played the sports that everyone plays, like soccer and tennis, just seeing what I liked. I liked volleyball the most and I stuck with that.
I think volleyball's a lot more engaging, like I think you have to focus every single second of every single time you're on the court. It's just a lot more engaging and fun for me.
Frierson: When did you know that you were good at it and might have a future beyond high school and club ball?
Downing: I switched clubs and I moved on to a team with girls who were getting offers, and I was like, whoa. These girls were older than me and I realized, whoa, this is real and I could actually do this. It was super exciting, it was awesome.
Frierson: What do you like to do when you're away from the court? Do you have a creative side?
Downing: I just kind of like to hang around people and my family a lot, hang out with my friends and my family.
Frierson: When you think of home what comes to mind?
Downing: I'm from Winter Park and I have three older brothers, and when I think of home I think of mom. She's definitely someone I missed coming up here. During all of this, there were times of, I want my mom.
Frierson: Growing up that close to Orlando, were you a Disney kid or did you stay as far away from it as possible?
Downing: No, no Disney. Everyone who's not from Florida says, Oh, my gosh, you must go to Disney World all the time. No, if you're from Orlando you don't go to Disney, you're not a tourist.
Frierson: I'm 48 years old and I've never been to a Disney establishment.
Downing: You're not missing out on much.
Frierson: What is it like moving to a new place? How has the adjustment been for you?
Downing: Athens is great and I like my teammates here, so that makes it better, being around people I like and being around Athens is pretty awesome.
I was kind of ready to go. I had really bad senioritis. I knew I was going to go here for almost two years, so I was very, very ready to go.
Frierson: What made you know that Georgia was the place for you?
Downing: I think I speak on behalf of everyone on my team: When you come here, this is it. You just kind of know.
Frierson: Do you have a plan for what you want to study and maybe what you want to be doing 10 years from now?
Downing: Just Terry Business, but I don't know yet. Maybe real estate.
Frierson: If you could travel anywhere in the world on somebody else's dime, where would you like to go?
Downing: Probably Europe. I've never been to Europe and I would love to go. Now's not really the time, but hopefully one day soon.
Frierson: Where is the most interesting place that volleyball has taken you?
Downing: I did so much traveling in club. We went to California for a couple of tournaments and I also played in Puerto Rico when I was in eighth grade.
Frierson: Is it kind of amazing to you how sports can take you across the country and beyond?
Downing: It's like a cultural experience. I met people all over the country — on weekends when my friends were at home, me and my team would travel to all these different states and meet all these people. I definitely think playing volleyball makes you way more mature, just being in a competitive sport makes you grow up a lot.
Frierson: I know you've got a brother that played basketball at Florida, so what was his reaction when you told him you were going to Georgia?
Downing: No one in my family is really a Bulldog fan, so everyone was kind of like, why Georgia? I was like, you guys don't even know, you would want to go here too.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
